Thursday, November 30, 2006

One of my fellow Erasmus Mundus students, Mona, is leaving tonight to prepare for her big fat Greek wedding next month. After the break, she is going to Kassel, her home university. I hope I see her again someday.

At the student union, from left to right: Nasia, Mona, Karina, Indi, Riz, Ryan, Adele

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

The Master's programme I am taking is quite a change from my degree because the system here is different.

1) I call my teachers by their first names. 2) There's much more independent study and even more to read. 3) My classes are in mixed mode, meaning a lot of components are done online, allowing part-timers from other parts of England to take the course. 4) The thing I like most about school is that they emphasize that they will do their best to help. If you have any problem at all, academic or personal, they will help you or refer you to someone who can help you. This kind of support system is great, especially for international students who may have difficulty adapting with the system or coping with the change in environment.

There are 4,400 of us postgraduates in the institute, mostly studying education. I suppose many have already been teaching for years, so you can gauge the atmosphere in our school, which looks like an office building occupying nearly a whole block in Bloomsbury.

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

The Friday night movie the other week (backlog, true) was The Bourne Supremacy, which I had already seen, so I borrowed a DVD from the house collection. Caroline lent me Awakenings, the 1990 movie starring Robert de Niro and Robin Williams and based on a true story about patients at a hospital.

The treatment proposed by the doctor was risky, but luckily, it worked. Unfortunately, not for long, and the patients went back to their catatonic state. A bit of a moral issue there, but if the patient has no quality of life to speak of, it was worth the risk. Excellent, excellent performances. I was a bit distracted by Julie Kavner's voice, though (she's the voice of Marge Simpson in The Simpsons).

Monday, November 27, 2006

Some students from London and Manchester were with us for this conference on film and television. Martin Kettering of Scottish TV gave a broad but brilliant outline of the issues around film and TV; students gave short presentations. The conference is a taster for UNIV 2007 in Rome on 31st March to 8th April, coinciding with Holy Week. I hope I can go.

Sunday, November 26, 2006

I had lunch at the cafe around the corner from us because Jamie Oliver recommended in the Visit London site. Hahaha! It has that local eatery feel and is usually packed at lunchtime. Big servings, reasonable price.

Oliver's restaurant Fifteen is just a few blocks away. Can't afford it, though.

Friday, November 24, 2006

[Late, but better than never. These two articles are from Michael Tan's Pinoy Kasi column in PDI. Please, please read them. I thought of taking photos of the six London unis in the top 100 to go with the post, but looking at the rankings makes me want to stay inside my room and study harder. My two pence worth on this (and yes, I am screaming): MORE SCHOLARLY RESEARCH! APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIPS!]

SOME time back, i rote about the ratings of Asian universities given by Asiaweek magazine. Sadly, Asiaweek has closed down, so I thought we would no longer be able to compare universities in the region.

But it turns out that there are global surveys as well, one of which was just released last Oct. 5. This is the Times Higher Education Supplement-Quacquarelli Symonds (THES-QS) World University Rankings. With thousands of universities in the world, it is an honor to make it to this list, which is based on several criteria, including faculty-to-student ratios and ratings given by more than 3,000 academicians and 700 leading international employment recruiters.

How did the Philippines fare? I'm going to keep you in suspense and just say, for now, that four of our universities did make it to the top 500 universities.

Global ranks

Let's look first at the THES-QS list of 20 leading universities. Note that there are ties so there might be occasional skipping of numbers: Harvard (1st), Cambridge (2nd), Oxford (3rd), Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Yale (tying for 4th), Stanford (6th), California Institute of Technology (7th), University of California in Berkeley (8th), Imperial College London (9th), Princeton (10th), University of Chicago (11th), Columbia (12th), Duke (13th), Beijing University (14th), Cornell (15th), Australian National University (16th), London School of Economics (17th), Ecole Normale Superieure (18th), National University of Singapore and Tokyo University (tying for 19th).

Most of the universities are American and British, but there is also representation from Australia, France, China, Singapore and Japan. Most of the leading American universities are private; in fact, on that top 20 list, the University of California Berkeley is the only American public institution. When I went on to the top 500 universities, I found that inall countries of the world, with the glaring exception of the United States and one other country (which I'll name later but which you may have guessed), state universities lead in the rankings.

Asia's best

I decided to pull out the Asian (to include Australian) universities from the THES-QS list and found that among the world's 500 leading universities, 90 are from Asia. Japan leads with 28, followed by China (including Hong Kong) with 16, Taiwan with 8, South Korea and Thailand with 7 each, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines with 4 each, Australia with 3, Singapore with 2 and Bangladesh with one.

Do be careful with those figures since it's not just a numbers game. Australia and Singapore have few universities on the list, but they are all high up in the ranking.

Enough with the suspense. Let's look at how the Philippines did. The University of the Philippines (UP) came in 299th globally and 47th among Asian universities. I have to say that's not too bad, considering how UP has had to plod along with shrinking budgets and with the flight of so many good professors. Trailing behind UP were three private universities: De La Salle (392nd), Ateneo de Manila (484th) and, talk about a photo finish, the University of Santo Tomas at 500th.

Lessons

Instead of bombarding you with more numbers, I'm going to analyze those rankings and spell out three important implications for our own educational system.

First, you don't need to be a rich country to have good universities, India being the best example. Even before independence, Indian nationalists had formed a commission to plan out their future and early on, they sought to form a network of science and technology institutions. After independence, funds were put in to establish a whole network, with several Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) campuses. IIT ranked 57th in the THES-QS global list.

Indonesia, a country less developed than the Philippines, is another example. It had three universities, all state-run, beating us in rankings: University of Indonesia (250th), Bandung Institute of Technology (258th) and University of Gadja Mada (270th).

Second, the other countries seem to recognize that excellence in education must be spread out throughout the country. Note that our four best universities are all in Metro Manila. In contrast, the Indian Institute of Technology has campuses in several states, all of which fared quite well when Asiaweek rated each unit back in 2000. The three Indonesian universities I just named are all on the island of Java, but at least they're found not just in the capital, Jakarta, but also in Bandung and Yogyakarta.

Thailand's best universities -- Chulalongkorn, Thammasat, Mahidol, Kasatsart, Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen and Prince of Songkla -- are all state universities and they are located in different parts of the country.

Third (and I've made this point time and time again), the state needs to invest in universities. The THES list is clear in showing that, with the exception of the United States and the Philippines, the leading universities in every country are state-owned. Sure, UP is the leader in the Philippines, but in other countries, several state universities – not just one -- made it to the THES list.

Most governments in the world have the wisdom to look at education as something too important to leave to "free market forces" (read: "profit"). Unless we learn from them, we will continue to see more diploma mills, more scandals in licensure exams and more Filipinos having to work overseas as cheap labor to develop other countries. Note that the THES-QS rankings also relate to international competitiveness, meaning if you graduate from those that lead in the rankings, you also stand a better chance of getting a well-paying international job.

UP is still among the world's best, but if we worked harder on the entire educational system, we should have more reason to be proud. Ultimately, we should be able to look at these university rankings as indicators of our current development strategies, as well as predictors of the country's future.

Published on Page A13 of the November 10, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

WITH the economy the way it is now, you might be wondering why I'm bothering to write about the possibilities of studying overseas.First, I'm still getting inquiries about the Times Higher Education Supplement's World University Rankings, which I featured last week, from friends who want to know where to send their children. OK, so those are the rich ones and therefore does all this have relevance to the average Filipino family? It does.The other reason I'm doing this column is that I've learned, over the past few months, that there are few takers for several scholarships being offered by Japanese, Australian, Singaporean and European universities.Filipinos tend to get intimidated by these scholarship offers, thinking they have to be at the top of their class, excelling in all fields. You'd be surprised at who gets scholarships: quite often, all it takes are average grades accompanied by a strong dose of self-confidence as you write your resumé and your reasons for applying. But don't overdo your self-confidence; many of these agencies also practice affirmative action, meaning they will give preference to those from poorer families, those living outside Metro Manila and those belonging to minority groups, particularly Muslims and indigenous communities.Now, please, please do not write me for more information about whom to contact. You need to exert some initiative here and prove you know how to look for the scholarships. Your best bets are to write the embassies, but you can also check the Internet for other scholarships, for example, by looking for the Erasmus scholarships offered by European countries.For upper-income families, you might be surprised to find out that the cost of studying in some of these countries isn't actually quite as high as you think. The way private schooling costs have soared in the Philippines, it may actually be cheaper to study overseas, even with the cost of living factored in.Why overseasWe do have good universities here, but there may be cases where an overseas education might still be useful. First, and this applies more for graduate studies, foreign universities might have courses that we still don't have here. That was what happened with me: I took medical anthropology at the University of Amsterdam since we didn't have that in the Philippines.Second, living overseas allows an exposure to other cultures, and that itself can be a learning experience. That might even include the university teaching styles. I still remember the excitement I had as a college undergraduate in the United States, thrilled by the much freer discussions that teachers allowed, and the range of subjects one couldtake.Third, overseas universities (even those in neighboring countries) often have better facilities and learning environments. My parents always told me, when I was in college, that it didn't really matter which university you studied in as long as you had the right environment and the right teachers. Most of our universities have that, to some extent, but it's becoming more and more difficult to survive with underpaid, overworked professors who vent their frustrations on students. Paradoxically, it's the brighter kids who end up most alienated without the proper environment. An overseas stint, even for a year, might be an option.Which universities?OK, so which universities? I will go back to the Times Higher Education Supplement's World University Rankings that I mentioned in previous columns to give you the 10 best universities for each of several countries you could consider. Note that these rankings are based more on peer review among educators, and among employers.Also remember that there will be language proficiency requirements for Japanese and Chinese universities. It also tends to be very competitive getting into the undergraduate programs of some of these countries, where education is subsidized by the state.Finally, don't limit yourself to the universities listed here. Do more research to figure out where you can go. For American universities, check the US News and World Report's annual ranking. I paid only P189 for a 2006 edition in Books for Less! That yearbook has very detailed information. For example, with business programs, they break down the best universities for a range of specializations, from accounting and entrepreneurship, tointernational business and real estate.Here now are the best universities for certain countries, with their ranking among world universities:United States: Harvard (1), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (4), Stanford University (6), California Institute of Technology (7), University of California Berkeley (8), Princeton (10), University of Chicago (11), Columbia (12), Duke (13), Cornell (15).Canada: McGill (21), University of Toronto (27), University of British Colombia (50), University of Alberta (133), McMaster (155), Queen's (176), University of Waterloo (204), University of Western Ontario (215), University of Calgary (266), Dalhousie (270).United Kingdom: Cambridge (2), Oxford (3), Imperial College London (9), London School of Economics (17), University College London (25), University of Edinburgh (33), University of Manchester (40), King's College London (46), University of Bristol (64), School of Oriental and African Studies (70).Australia: Australian National University (16), University of Melbourne (22), University of Sydney (35), Monash (38), University of New South Wales (41), University of Queensland (45), Macquarie (82), University of Adelaide (105), University of Western Australia (111), RMIT (146).Japan: University of Tokyo (19), Kyoto University (29), Osaka University (70), Tokyo Institute of Technology (118), Kyushu University (128), Nagoya University (128), Hokkaido University (13), Waseda University (158), Tohuku University (168), Osaka City University (232).For the bold ones willing to study a European language before applying, here are the best besides the British ones: Ecole Normale Superieure (18), ETH Zurich (24), Ecole Polytechnique (37), Sciences Po Paris (52), University of Copenhagen (54), Ruprecht-Karls-Universitat Heidelberg (58), Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (64), University of Amsterdam (ahem, ahem, 69), University of Basel (75), Catholic University of Louvain (76).To cap off this listing, here are the other higher-ranked Asian universities. Note how they rub shoulders with the best of American and European institutions: Beijing University (14), National University of Singapore (19), Tsinghua (28), University of Hongkong (33), University of Auckland (46), Chinese University of Hongkong (50), Indian Institute of Technology (57), Hongkong University of Science and Technology (58), Nanyang Technological University (61), Seoul National University (63).

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Spent Sunday morning at another market. I went with Chisom to Brick Lane Market, which extends all the way down Sclater Street and up Cheshire Street. My first impression was that it was a man's market: stolen bikes, pirated porn, men's garments. But there's more. Toiletries, fruits, bagels, leather goods. It gets better. Vintage shops, art galleries, antiques. My favorite store is a little shop called Comfort Station. It has lovely stuff that have been featured in Elle and Marie Claire. Designer prices, though. It feels out of place, but the ambience is priceless. Hardly took any photos, sorry.

By the way, some PhotoShows have music. Just click on the sound button to turn on or off.

The house is attached to Bracklyn Training Center, which caters us. Seven of us went there to learn how to make winter vegetable soup and apple crumble. I took a lot of time and my slices were huge, but everything went well. The soup was served for Sunday lunch. We couldn't tell which ones were ours. We marked the apple crumble dishes, so I had a taste of mine for Monday dinner. Mine looked nice, not too sweet. It was actually served to the other table, so I only had three spoonfuls.

Sunday, November 19, 2006

The architext John Soane left his house and the collections it contains to the British nation. Paintings, marble sculptures, cameos and an Egyptian sarcophagus are among the things the visitor can see. There's also an exhibit on John Betjeman, the writer-poet-presenter.

What I like most about the museum is that it feels like walking into somebody's house. You go up to the door, ring the bell, wait for someone to answer, leave your coat on a hanger, then walk around at your own pace.

Saturday, November 18, 2006

I borrowed Empty House (Bin Jip/3-Iron) from Dan because Alice recommended it. I didn't like the first half of it; the second part was alright. It has that short story feel--nothing wrong with that, but it's hard not to compare it withIl Mare because they're both short on dialogue. I guess what made people like it is that it's almost a silent movie, a rarity in these talkie times.

Friday, November 17, 2006

Oli and I went to the National Theatre to see this photography exhibit, a selection of relatively recent Reuters photos included in the book of the same title. The theme was generally one of conflict and tended to be depressing. The one we remembered most was the photo of three men who died on the sea crossing from Africa to Europe, their bodies washed ashore. There was a screen showing the week's photos, which had a few funny ones in them. You need to laugh a bit after that.

The exhibit is a good wake-up call for the world. We must always remember that elsewhere, war, hate and poverty are everyday things. Living in London makes you just concerned for yourself, where your only thought is I hope I never get mugged. Of course, that points to bigger problems that still exist in the First World. But people here are more sheltered and without jolting images of the rest of the world, I don't think they would care.

Thursday, November 16, 2006

The show coincided with Armistice Day, which marks the end of the First World War. Incidentally, the long coats of the men in uniform made me think of old war photos.

There was a two-minute silence at 11am. The announcer sounded ironic when he said that "the silence will be broadcast on BBC..."

After 300 photos, my feet were cold.

What amazed me is the speed at which the area was cleaned up. It wasn't even a minute after the last vehicle on parade had passed when the giant cleaning machines came, scrubbing the street of the confetti and horse dung (of at least a couple of horses near the corner where we were). Talk about cleanliness and efficiency! The Lord Mayor should be proud.

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

After an early breakfast last Saturday, I went with Ria and Sara to the Lord Mayor's Show. We walked to the City (buses on diversion) two hours early to secure a good place. Cameramen kept displacing us, but we still got a good view--we had a good look at the Lord Mayor as he shook the hands of the men in uniform. The show was an hour long, but it seemed that all the marching bands in London had passed before us. There was a distracting Hong Kong presentation simul with the show which I found hard to appreciate because it seemed out of place. Still, it was a great experience.

I've been a Branagh fan since high school. I think seeing his Shakespeare movies has made learning Shakespeare easier for me. In this made-for-TV movie, he plays Ernest Shackleton, the South Pole explorer who leads an ill-fated expedition to safety. I think the screenplay's pretty good, the acting even better.

Monday, November 13, 2006

Sidney Lumet's Network is a 30-year-old film from that still feels very now. Excellent ensemble acting (the late William Holden delivers great lines; this was Peter Finch's last film for which he won an Oscar posthumously). A must-see for media students.

Sunday, November 12, 2006

Claire, a Fairtrade consultant, came to the house to talk about the real cost of cheap clothing and what we can do about it. This is certainly a complex issue that I cannot even begin to discuss here. Personally, I would go for cheap clothing, as the main difference is just the mark-up, not the cost of labor. The Philippine garment industry has weakened because of the cheap cost of clothing from other Asian countries, but in a way we benefit from that as well.

Chains like M&S, Topshop, Starbucks, Pret A Manger, Costa, as well as the big supermarket chains in the UK carry Fairtrade products, which I think is amazing. I hope that eventually, other high street shops and even the low-price stores like Primark will go Fairtrade at some point or at least keep to ethical suppliers.Learn more about Fairtrade

Saturday, November 11, 2006

By the time the actual changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace took place, most tourists had already left. Her Majesty was not in residence and being winter, there were only two sentries with drab gray coats. Not very interesting if you were looking forward to red jackets and black trousers. Good thing the horse guards are still in red.

Saint James's Park is just in front of the Palace; the Horse Guards, as well as Downing Street, are on the opposite end. Quite a lot of photos in this show. If you don't want to wait for all them to load, you can search for my Flickr page.

Thursday, November 9, 2006

Last Friday, in brief: *There was an unannounced fire drill at uni-I finally saw how many students there were *I saw the Treasures of the British Museum exhibit-beautiful illuminated manuscripts, among other historical documents *Had a photo taken at King's Cross platform 9 3/4-I think I missed the train to Hogwarts *Went to the National Portrait Gallery, Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus, Covent Garden *Discovered The Photographers' Gallery *Had dinner with Marian, Jesse and their friends, and lost track of the time but made it back for my midnight curfew

Wednesday, November 8, 2006

Wicked the Musical is based on Gregory Maguire's book about the "untold story of the witches of Oz". The music is by Stephen Schwartz (Pippin, Godspell, The Baker's Wife, The Prince of Egypt, Disney's Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame).

I was giddy the whole weekend. I watched the matinee at Apollo Victoria, so there were loads of kids and teens. They probably toned down As Long As You're Mine for the audience. There were some people who came to the theater wearing witch hats. (Halloween leftovers?) For some reason, many punchlines didn't work. I'm not sure if anybody noticed the reference to Evita. I also thought I heard a backing vocal track for the first few ensemble songs. Is that possible, especially when you have a live orchestra? I think Trumpets does it, and they have all the music recorded. But for a West End musical, that would amount to shortchanging the theatergoers. But I my ears could have deceived me.

Idina Menzel, who played Elphaba (and won a Tony for the role), is a goddess. I was in the 29th row, completely out of her sight, but I felt as if she was acting for me. It's embarrassing that I actually considered sending a letter to the stage door. Helen Dallimore (Galinda) sounds quite different from Kristin Chenoweth. Adam Garcia is a boyish Fiyero, so pairing him with Idina doesn't work for me (see video). I know he can dance, but he can't really do much of that in this role. I can't place his accent, but they did Dancing Through Life pronouncing "dancing" in the English way.

Overheard in the stalls: December 31, Idina's last night as Elphaba, should be emotional, as she had wanted to extend her contract but was not allowed to.

Tip for the ladies who want to go to the toilet after intermission: after Defying Gravity (then blackout), make a run for it! The queue to the loo is the longest I've ever seen for a show.

Peter West, a graphologist, came to the house on Halloween to talk about handwriting and what it reveals about your character. I didn't bring a sample for analysis. I don't think my writing would reveal positive things about me. Hehe!

This is post #100, by the way. Thanks for visiting my blog and please drop by again soon!

Sunday, November 5, 2006

Goths, tattoo studios, batik and handcrafted items mix in Camden. For the most part, the clothes in the market (think Bora talipapa)were expensive. I guess you could bargain. You could go down the high street and the lock for other alternatives. Tons of people on a Sunday. Don't go alone. That fellow might hound you for change to buy beer. At least, he's up front about it.

Saturday, November 4, 2006

I meant to watch Wicked the Musical, but the matinee was completely sold out, so I crossed the street to the Victoria Palace for Billy Elliot the Musical. I ended up paying an awful amount of money for a restricted view seat (if I sat correctly, I'd be facing the wall), but it was worth it.

I had high expectations for the show, so I wasn't exactly ecstatic, but everyone had a good time. Travis Yates, who played Billy, is more of a street dancer than a ballet dancer, but it would be unfair to expect him to be like Liam Mower (who appears in this video). I wouldn't say Liam is the definitive Billy, either, though I had hoped to see him, only to find out that he had "retired" on September 30th. Travis is an excellent dramatic actor. His comic timing isn't perfect, but he has a voice I like. He fits the role well, I would say.

Sir Elton just had to put in a number with dancing dresses, mala-My Strongest Suit in Aida. At least the story gave him good reason to do so. Like the movie, I wouldn't advise the show for young kids because of the swearing and the gay themes that might not be easy to explain.

Our gaming class (yes, there is such a thing) went to the Game On exhibit at the Science Museum in South Kensington. You could play the games of the 80s to the present, but you had to battle it out with kids on vacation (it was half term). Mario, Pac-Man, Space Invaders, Streetfighter, Dance Rev, Harry Potter--the list goes on and on. I was hoping to get more insight into game development, but I guess the most I found out was that Lara Croft was supposed to be Lara Cruz. Does that mean English aristocrats have more universal appeal?

Wednesday, November 1, 2006

It's the kind of building that doesn't look like it belongs to London. When I first saw it, it reminded me of Hagia Sophia, which makes sense because of the Byzantine style, a huge contrast to Westminster Abbey. I meant to hear Mass, but only caught the last part of it because I couldn't find a place to eat lunch early enough. (Pret and EAT were closed, so I ended up doing what I told myself I'd never do unless I was desperate--eat at McDonalds.)

Inside the cathedral, I lighted three candles for the dearly departed: two for my grandfathers and one for my uncle. Hindi siguro ako makakapagtirik ng kandila sa sa bahay.

SCHEDULE OF SCREENINGS: * November 4, Saturday at SM Mall of Asia, 2pm and 7pm * November 5, Sunday at SM Megamall, 2pm and 7pm * November 6, Monday at SM North EDSA, 430pm and 930pm * November 7, Tuesday at SM Megamall, 430pm and 930pm

Tickets are 100PhP each, 50PhP for students.*Schedule may change without prior notice.For inquiries, you may contact, 0910-6755385 or0915-9938339.